UNSG's special envoy to visit Cyprus March 7-9

The UN Secretary-General's special envoy to Cyprus, Jane Holl Lute, will visit the island on March 7-9 for contacts with the two sides, in the framework of preparations for the informal five-party meeting on the Cyprus Problem scheduled to take place in Geneva on April 27-29.

During her visit, Lute will hold meetings with President Nicos Anastasiades and the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar. She is also expected to hold meetings with the two sides' negotiators. Before her meetings with the sides, Lute will meet with the UNSG's special representative in Cyprus, Elizabeth Spehar, and the members of the team on the Cyprus problem at the UNSG's good offices mission for a briefing on developments and meetings taking place on the ground. 

Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, said in a written statemen earlier this week that "following the consultations conducted on behalf of the Secretary-General by a senior UN official, Ms. Jane Holl Lute, over the past several months, the Secretary-General intends to convene an informal five-plus-one meeting on the Cyprus issue in Geneva, Switzerland, from 27 to 29 April 2021."

Furthermore, he noted that "the purpose of the meeting will be to determine whether common ground exists for the parties to negotiate a lasting solution to the Cyprus problem within a foreseeable horizon."

Anastasiades on Thursday expressed strong determination to participate in the informal meeting on Cyprus, noting that he has the political will to attend the meeting and expressing hope that it will create the conditions for a resumption of the dialogue for a viable and functional solution that will benefit both communities on the island.